Pyrgos () is a city in the northwestern

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, capital of the regional unit of

Elis Elis also known as Ellis or Ilia (, ''Eleia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it ...

and the seat of the Municipality of Pyrgos. The city is located in the middle of a plain, from the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. The river

Alfeios The Alpheios (, , Latin Alpheus), sometimes spelled Alfeiós, is the main stream of the Alpheios Valley drainage system, a dendritic type, originating on the north slopes of Mount Taygetus, located in the center of the Peloponnesus of Greece, a ...

flows into sea about south of Pyrgos. The population of the town Pyrgos is 26,052, and of the municipality 45,365 (2021). Pyrgos is west of Olympia, southeast of

Amaliada Amaliada (, Katharevousa: Ἀμαλιάς, ''Amaliás'') is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it is the seat and a mu ...

, southwest of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

and west of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

Historical population

Municipality

The municipality Pyrgos was formed during the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *

Iardanos Iardanos () is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pyrgos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 62.723 km2. Its seat of adm ...

Oleni Oleni () is a village and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Elis (regional unit), Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pyrgos, Elis, Pyrgos, of which it ...

*Pyrgos * Volakas The municipality has an area of 456.610 km², the municipal unit 170.866 km².

Subdivisions

The municipal unit of Pyrgos is divided into the following communities (settlements within the communities given in brackets): *Pyrgos (Pyrgos, Anthopyrgos, Kavasilakia, Lampeti, Syntriada, Tragano) * Agios Georgios * Agios Ilias (Agios Ilias, Pyrgi, Stamatelaiika) * Agios Ioannis (Agios Ioannis, Kyani Akti, Palatas, Tragano) *Ampelonas (Ampelonas, Kouzouli, Rozeika) *Elaionas (Elaionas, Vytinaiika) *Granitsaiika (Granitsaiika, Kavouri) *

Katakolo Katakolo () is a seaside village in the municipality of Pyrgos in western Elis, Greece. It is situated on a headland overlooking the Ionian Sea and separating the Gulf of Kyparissia from the rest of the Ionian. It is west of Pyrgos. The small v ...

( Katakolo, Agios Andreas) *

Koliri Koliri, () is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. It is situated on a hillside, 3 km northeast of Pyrgos town centre and 3 km northwest of Varvasaina. The Greek National Road 74 (Tripoli – Olympi ...

(Koliri, Kolireikes Paragkes) *

Korakochori Korakochori ( meaning "crow village") is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. The community includes the small villages Agios Andreas, Kallithea and Bouka. It is located by the Ionian Sea, 2 km southwest o ...

(Korakochori, Agios Andreas, Kallithea, Bouka) *

Lasteika Lasteika (, also: Λασταίικα ''Lastaiika'') is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. It is situated at the foot of a low hill, 4 km northwest of the centre of Pyrgos. It is 2 km southwest of Agi ...

(Lasteika, Itia) * Leventochori * Myrtia *Palaiovarvasaina (Palaiovarvasaina, Agios Georgios, Kampos) * Salmoni (Salmoni, Alfeios) *

Skafidia Skafidia () is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. It is situated on the Ionian Sea coast, at the foot of a low hill. It is 1 km north of Leventochori, 3 km southwest of Myrtia and 11 km northwe ...

(Skafidia, Kalakaiika, Moni Skafidias, Patronikoleika) *

Skourochori Skourochori () is a village and a community in the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. The community includes the village Kato Kavouri. It is situated near the Ionian Sea, at the foot of a low hill. It is 3 km south of Myrtia, 3 km e ...

(Skourochori, Kato Kavouri) *

Varvasaina Varvasaina () is a village and a community in the eastern part of the municipality of Pyrgos, Elis, Greece. The community consists of the villages Varvasaina and Kato Varvasaina. It is situated in a valley between low hills, 3 km southeast o ...

(Varvasaina, Kato Varvasaina) *Vytinaiika

History

History of the name

In the 1510s, during Ottoman rule over Greece, a villager from

Kalavryta Kalavryta () is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and northwest of Tripoli, G ...

decided to move and reform the area of Pyrgos which up until then was uncultivated. During this reformation he found in a well a large amount of gold ancient coins which he delivered to the Sultan as the rightful owner. The Sultan,

Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...

(1470-1520), in order to honor his integrity named him ruler of the region (1512) and gave him a great acreage expanding from

river until the village Agios Ioannis which is located near

(the main port of the

region). This area was encompassing today's Pyrgos and was uninhabited. According to the stories the new ruler built a great tower (Πύργος, ''pyrgos'' in Greek) on a hill in order to supervise his fields and his flocks. This was the first settlement of the area.

Climate

Pyrgos has a hot-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Csa'') with hot and dry summers and rainy winters with generally mild temperatures. Annual precipitation is sizeable, like most of

Western Greece Western Greece Region (, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece. It comprises the western part of Central Greece (geographic region), continental Greece and the northwestern part of the Peloponnese pen ...

, nearly 900 mm, while it peaks in late autumn.

Transportation

Pyrgos has a train station with regular trains to the port of

and Olympia. Service on the line from

Kalamata Kalamata ( ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece after Patras, and the largest city of the Peloponnese (region), homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regiona ...

via Pyrgos has been suspended in 2011. Pyrgos has a bus terminal, served by KTEL Ileias, with regular buses for the regional routes to most places in Elis as well as for intercity routes to Athens and to larger cities such as Patras, Kalamata, Ioannina and Thessaloniki. The

Greek National Road 9 Greek National Road 9 (, abbreviated as EO9) is a single carriageway with at-grade intersections in the West Greece and Peloponnese regions. It runs along the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, from Patras to Methoni via Pyrgos. Its leng ...

connects Pyrgos with Patras and

Kyparissia Kyparissia () is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has ...

, the Greek National Road 74 run from Pyrgos to

via Olympia. The nearest airport is located in Andravida near the town of Amaliada but it is served for military operations only. However, there are plans to open passenger operations in the next years. The alternative airports for passenger operations are Araxos airport, located in the province of Aichaia about 60 km to the north-east or Kalamata Captain Vasilios Constatakopoulos airport, in Messinia province near Kalamata about 120 km south of the city.

Education

Department of Museum Studies of the

university of Patras The University of Patras (UPatras; , ''Panepistímio Patrón'', ΠΠ) is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third-largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the staff, and the number of department ...

was based in the city.

Sporting teams

* Paniliakos F.C. (played last in the first division during the 2003–2004 season)

Notable people

* Andreas Avgerinos (1820–1895), politician * Petros Avgerinos (19th century), politician, mayor of Pyrgos * Nakis Avgerinos (1911–2001), politician *

Giorgos Karagounis Georgios Karagkounis (; born 6 March 1977), known as Giorgos Karagounis (), is a Greeks, Greek former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. In his club career, Karagounis played for Panathinaikos F.C., Pana ...

(1977–), footballer * Kostas Kazakos (1935–2022), actor and politician * George Pavlopoulos (1924–2008), poet * Takis Sinopoulos (1917–1981), poet * Stephanos Stephanopoulos (1898–1982), politician and President of the Hellenic Republic * Theodoros Xydis, (1909–1985), poet and essayist. * Sakis Karagiorgas (1930–1985), professor in Panteion University *

Emmanouil Karalis Emmanouil (Manolo) Karalis (, born 20 October 1999) is a Greek pole vaulter. He is the current holder of the Greek national record. In March 2025, Karalis became the first Greek pole vaulter to win a gold medal at a European Athletics Indoor Cha ...

(1999-), athlete of

Pole Vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

, Olympic Medalist in

Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics Sport of athletics, Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were held between 1 and 11 August 2024, featuring a total of 48 medal events across three distinct sets: track and field, road running, and racewalking. Four venues were used: ...

in Paris

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Elis Greek prefectural capitals Municipalities of Western Greece 1512 establishments in Europe